The Blind Spot — A Free Self Check for Facts and Assumptions
Published by Force For Good Studio, the creator of this resource.
A client hasn’t replied. You’re already wondering whether the proposal missed the mark. By lunchtime, you’ve mentally rewritten it twice.
The Blind Spot is a free decision-making self-check for examining one situation before responding. It helps you distinguish what you observed from what you think it means, consider what remains unknown, and identify a useful next step.
Created by Thomi Sechehaye at Force For Good Studio, the resource gives you a short written process for a moment when your first explanation deserves another look.
When this self-check may help
You might use The Blind Spot when a short reply leaves you unsettled, a request feels more urgent than you expected, or you keep returning to the same conclusion without learning anything new.
The situation can be ordinary and still matter. Perhaps you need the client’s work. Perhaps you care about the relationship. Perhaps your response will create a commitment you’ll have to keep.
Those circumstances belong in the examination.
What the process helps you examine
The Blind Spot begins with one situation. It then helps you notice the pressure around it, separate evidence from interpretation, consider another perspective, and choose a practical next step.
Writing these things down makes the basis of a conclusion easier to see.
“The client hasn’t replied since Tuesday” records an observation.
“The client has rejected the proposal” adds an interpretation.
That interpretation may eventually prove accurate. For now, there is something worth checking.
Try a five-minute evidence check
Choose one situation that has been occupying your attention. Write four short answers.
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What happened that I can describe or verify?
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What am I taking it to mean?
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What important information is missing?
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What could I check before responding?
For example, an independent designer might write the following.
I sent the proposal Tuesday. It is now Thursday, and I haven’t received a reply.
I’m assuming the price put them off.
I don’t know whether they received it or when they expect to review it.
I can ask whether it arrived and when a follow-up would be useful.
This fictional example leaves the client’s opinion unresolved. It gives the designer a specific question to ask.
What to do with your answers
Look at the fourth answer. Choose a check that could add information, including information that might change your view.
You might reread the original request, confirm a deadline, ask someone with direct knowledge, or wait until an agreed review date.
Keep the distinction between your action and another person’s response. You can send a clear question. The timing and content of the reply depend on someone else.
What the download includes
The Blind Spot includes printable and fillable PDF editions, a quick-start guide, and optional ChatGPT reflection prompts.
You can complete the exercises independently. If you use the prompts, begin with your own notes and review the response against what you actually know.
The resource is designed to help you examine your account of a situation. Its usefulness will depend on the information you bring and the checks you make afterward.
A useful place to begin
If one interpretation is shaping your response, The Blind Spot offers a guided way to examine it and decide what needs attention next.
Force For Good Studio
Common-sense tools for a complicated world.